| | Texas Watch: Safe Texas Agenda | | As our state’s economy thrives and our population booms, Texas families and communities face new threats to their physical and financial safety. We call on lawmakers to take steps during the 84th Legislature to help Texans thrive in our Texas economy by adopting a Safe Texas Agenda. Click on the headline to learn more. |
| Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Newly Released Reports Illustrate Confusion on Deadly Morning at DuPont Plant | | 
| | A Harris County investigators' report paints a picture of confusion, chaos and delays in those early morning hours when workers became overcome and died when 23,000 pounds of toxic gases accumulated from a leak inside the pesticide unit. The Houston Chronicle obtained the reports through a Texas Public Information Act request.
Lise Olsen, Houston Chronicle 12/19/2014    | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Lawsuit Claims SXSW Crash 'Could Have Been Prevented' | |
| | The victims and victim's families of the deadly crash at South by Southwest earlier this year are suing the festival organizers, claiming the deadly accident could have been prevented. The lawsuits were filed by four firms in three courts on behalf of eight victims.
Kris Betts, KVUE-TV 12/19/2014 | | Read Article: KVUE-TV |
| Oil Spill Claims Administrator Sets Deadline for Settlement Claims | |
| | Individuals and businesses damaged by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill have six months left to file a claim under BP's multibillion-dollar settlement. In a Thursday (Dec. 18) statement, claims administrator Patrick Juneau set a June 8, 2015, deadline for all new claims for economic and property damages related to the spill. Any claims filed after that date will not be eligible for payment. The deadline does not apply to claims under the $2.3 billion Seafood Compensation Program, a pool of money under the settlement set aside pay commercial fisherman, boat owners and other seafood workers. The deadline to file claims under the seafood program has already expired. The filing deadline comes after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review BP's challenge to the settlement, effectively ending the company's effort to overturn the agreement.
Jennifer Larino, New Orleans Times-Picayune 12/19/2014 | | Read Article: New Orleans Times-Picayune |
| GM Ignition Switch Fund Reaches Grim Milestone | |
| | Ken Feinberg in charge of evaluating each application to the fund. Earlier this week, those claims reached a grim milestone: 100 approved claims for injuries and deaths. The fund reached the century mark on Monday, as Feinberg announced that four new instances of wrongful death had been linked to the ignition switches as well as seven injuries. That brings the number of fatalities to 42 and the number of injuries to 58.
Richard Read, The Washington Post 12/19/2014 | | Read Article: The Washington Post |
| ‘Old GM’ Trust Says it Shouldn’t Pay Ignition Claims | |
| | The trust representing creditors of the bankruptcy General Motors Corp. estate asked a federal judge to reject efforts by “new GM” to pay ignition switch claims using funds set aside for creditors of the “old” Detroit automaker that filed for bankruptcy in 2009. It’s the latest salvo in the battle over who — if anyone — will pay billions in claims filed arising from GM’s actions before its 2009 bankruptcy.
David Shepardson, Detroit News 12/19/2014 | | Read Article: Detroit News |
| Rideshare Drivers Still Cornered Into Insurance Secrecy | |
| | In the last year, car-service app startups Uber and Lyft have made major progress toward fixing their drivers’ insurance issues, gradually taking more responsibility for accidents that happen to on-duty drivers. But one sticky problem persists: drivers often lie to their personal insurance about their work, which can lead to confusion and insurance fraud.
Ellen Huet, Forbes 12/19/2014 | | Read Article: Forbes |
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